Is B-town following the PM’s conserve fuel appeal?

To save fuel, several Bollywood stars now prefer nearby studios and modest filming locations

Not necessarily, but some conscientious actors are trying their level best to shoot closer home

Krishnan M   

At the start of this week, Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, appealed to our countrymen to try and return to a work-from-home (WFH) arrangement and to also have virtual meetings to cut down on fuel consumption amid the ongoing West Asia crisis. This is seen, mostly, as an advisory to the IT companies and others who can operate remotely. Unfortunately, the film industry cannot operate without the fuss, frills, and ostentatious sets. And it’s to their credit that they are trying to comply by adopting some measured steps.

Marketing professionals drawing up the itineraries for city tours of upcoming releases like Pati Patni Aur Woh Do and Hai Jawaani Toh Ishq Hona Hai confirm that actors like Ayushmann Khurrana, Wamiqa Gabbi, Sara Ali Khan, and Rakul Preet Singh, who travelled to Indore and have finished their Gujarat run, will travel to lesser cities. Likewise, Varun Dhawan and his team are still firming up their city tours, but as of today, the plans are tentative.

In Mumbai too, stars are trying their level best to choose locations closer to their residences for their film/commercial shoots.

Salman Khan’s preferred location in times of a national emergency or otherwise is Mehboob Studios, which is literally a hop, skip, and jump from his residence in Bandstand, Mumbai. Mehboob Studios is also the favourite location of superstar Shah Rukh Khan and celebrity cricketer M. S. Dhoni. The Free Press Journal spoke to several productions to confirm this.

We also learnt that Amitabh Bachchan now has a location in his backyard. He prefers to use the grounds of his last-acquired Juhu property, Mansa, to shoot commercials. For film shoots, the Indian cinema legend prefers the Golden Tobacco studio premises, Irla, which is approximately 15 minutes away from his residence.

Ajay Devgn has been shooting at Film City in Goregaon East for Rohit Shetty’s Golmaal 5. Due to Shetty’s heightened security threat, the attempt has been to shoot most of the film in this studio, on a single set which is absolutely airtight, be it day or night. However, the G5 team did make a quick, low-profile, short trip to Ooty in April to add some additional colour.

If he could help it, like his neighbour Bachchan, even Devgn will stick to filming at GT, Irla, because it cuts down on travel time and fuel. Oh, by the way, some superstars are complaining good-naturedly of “leg cramps”. In their putting-their-best-face-forward endeavour, they are forced to ditch their gas-guzzling luxe cars and opt for more modest e-vehicles.

While studios in Andheri like Yashraj (YRF) and the Chitrakoot Grounds are also gaining popularity with shoots because of their proximity to star residences, the pertinent question to ask is how long will the stars and makers attempt to toe the line.

A production controller said, “The most killing expenditure for most producers is the cost of the chartered flight that actors like Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, Ranbir Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, and a few other A-listers demand. Each flight can cost upward of Rs 25 lakh per trip. And superstars who have acquired a taste for this exclusivity find it belittling to fly on commercial carriers. In fact, some of them have a clause in their work contract saying that they will only fly on a chartered aircraft.” Will good sense prevail, as this is the need of the hour? Let’s watch the airspace closely for now.